Coach gets 100 hours instead of jail time
Ross has no receipts, names or addresses for $48,600 supposedly paid out to winners.
By JEANNE STARMACK
VINDICATOR STAFF WRITER
BOARDMAN -- Canfield High School's former head baseball coach must perform 100 hours of community service for conducting for-profit poker tournaments promoted as school fund-raisers.
Tony Ross, who resigned from his coaching position Dec. 5, pleaded guilty in county court here Thursday to four misdemeanor counts of gambling. He was given four 180-day jail sentences; three were totally suspended, and the fourth was suspended except for 10 days. Then Judge Joseph M. Houser said there is no room at the county jail and sentenced Ross to the community service and 12 months' probation instead.
Judge Houser had rejected the plea agreement Dec. 6, saying he wanted more details accounting for the money from 11 Texas Hold 'Em tournaments Ross said he held as fund-raisers for the high school baseball team. As a condition of his acceptance of the plea Thursday, the judge said Ross must provide bank statements within 30 days to account for the money.
Police not satisfied
Canfield Detective Andy Bodzak told Judge Houser before he accepted the plea that police are still not satisfied with Ross' accounting because there are no receipts for $48,600 that was supposedly paid out to tournament winners.
There are no names or addresses to verify the payouts, Bodzak said.
Police said that in July, Ross reported gross proceeds to them of $60,000. The police report said that only $1,500 was given to student athletes.
Prosecutor Jack Ausnehmer said after Thursday's hearing that $1,300 remains in the account and will be turned over to the Canfield School District. He said Ross was able to account for about $10,000, with receipts from expenses related to the tournaments -- for example, hall rentals and food.
If Ross does not provide the bank statements the judge ordered, he could be held in contempt of court and could go to jail.
Charges
Canfield police charged Ross in August with 11 counts of gambling after their investigation concluded he had held the tournaments for profit. They took place at the Shangri-La banquet center on West Calla Road beginning in February 2004 and continuing through January 2005.
The prosecutor said the decision to reduce the charges in the plea agreement from 11 counts to four was arbitrary.
"What difference does it make? He's not going to jail," he said.
Ross has been with the school district for about 30 years. He will remain in his position as teacher of the occupational work experience-occupational work adjustment program for ninth- and 10th-graders.
He had been head baseball coach for six years and before that was head football coach.